The common customers on wheels : interaction between Swedish authority and vehicle industry in traffic safety product realisation

Sammanfattning: The overall goal of this thesis is to explore the possibilities to improve the interaction between the authorities and the vehicle industry in traffic safety product realisation. The difference between human traffic safety needs, road users' traffic safety needs and their traffic safety demands are highlighted. The process from human traffic safety needs to traffic safety product market is discussed. The interaction between The Swedish Road Administration (SRA) and the vehicle industry in Sweden is characterised according to four issues: goals and motives, dependence and power, conflicts, and knowledge exchange. The empirical study includes 15 in-depth interviews that were done during the spring of 2004. The SRA and the vehicle industry in Sweden agree on the road users' traffic safety needs. They also agree each others' role in traffic safety management and the strategy of the SRA to switch its approach. The SRA and the vehicle industry also have conflicts due to the incompatibility of their organisational goals and expertise.